BOOKS   BOOKS  BOOKS

Welcome.  We have been buying and selling books since the early 1970's. Our books are carefully selected for quality. All books are cleaned, inspected and the defects noted in our descriptions. All purchases  are fully guaranteed to be to your satisfaction . To peruse or search our inventory, click on one of the below links.

 

Amazon.com

 
Alibris.com  

Half.com

 
ABE.com  

Books listed on these websites can be purchased directly from us at a 10% discount. We accept cash, money orders and Paypal. The first step is to email  us with author/title and your location.

GRADING

NEW:  New books do not have any remainder marks, dustjacket tears, or 'shelf wear'.
AS NEW:  Books do not have any remainder marks, dustjacket tears, or 'shelf wear'. This grade is used on books that are a few years too old to be called new, but still look and feel new. Same condition as when it was first put on the shelf.
FINE:  Books may have very slight wear to surface or edges, dustjacket may not have tears. Binding is tight/square.
NEAR FINE:  Light 'shelf wear', could include small edge tears, bumped corners, more pronounced surface wear... but mild. Binding solid and square.
VERY GOOD:  An average used book that has been treated well
GOOD:  A worse than average used book.
ACCEPTABLE:  An ex-library copy, or a book with soil or marks in text.  Complete and readable but

We try to always note defects in books. We abhor: remainder marks, stains and soil.  Things always noted:

 Stains, water damage, bookplates, names, stickers, underlining, hi-lighting, ex-library marks.

We  adhere to the AB Bookman condition guide as follows:

  1. As New is to be used only when the book is in the same immaculate condition in which it was published. There can be no defects, no missing pages, no library stamps, etc., and the dust jacket (if it was issued with one) must be perfect without any tears. (The term As New is preferred over the alternative term Mint to describe a copy that is perfect in every respect, including jacket.)
  2. Fine approaches the condition of As New, but without being crisp. For the use of the term Fine there must also be no defects, etc., and if the jacket has a small tear, or other defect, or looks worn, those should be noted.
  3. Very Good can describe a used book that does show some small signs of wear - but no tears - on either binding or paper. Any defects must be noted.
  4. Good describes the average used and worn book that has all pages or leaves present. Any defects must be noted.
  5. Fair is a worn book that has complete text pages (including those with maps or plates) but may lack endpapers, half-title, etc. (which must be noted). Binding, jacket (if any), etc., may also be worn. All defects must be noted.
  6. Poor describes a book that is sufficiently worn that its only merit is as a Reading Copy because it does have the complete text, which must be legible. Any missing maps or plates should still be noted. This copy may be soiled, scuffed, stained or spotted and may have loose joints, hinges, pages, etc.
  7. Ex-library copies must always be noted as such no matter what the condition of the book.
  8. Book Club editions must always be noted as such no matter what the condition of the book.
  9. Binding Copy describes a book in which the pages or leaves are perfect but the binding is very bad, loose, off, or nonexistent.
     

SHIPPING

Books are bubble-wrapped and shipped in sturdy cardboard boxes, except for inexpensive paperback copies. We use a professional mailing system with bar code address labels and delivery confirmation numbers. 

International shipping is usually via Priority international.  Please email us for rates on heavy or oversized items.

INTERNET   TIPS

 You should assume that when a seller does not state the edition, you will be receiving a reprint, a book club or an ex-library copy.

You should avoid anyone selling 'mint' or 'perfect' copies, as these do not exist. The seller has either poor eyesight or is IQ challenged.

You should avoid sellers that have poor feedback (less than 95%), or sellers who use bogus or misspelled terms.  A few we have seen:

 'bran new', 'pages are tight', 'shelfware'

Avoid sellers that state 'text is unmarked'. This can mean that page edges ARE marked (ie remainder). When we state clean/tight & unmarked we mean ALL marks (including remainder marks).

 

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